SCRIPT FORMAT: Hobbes, Pinocchio and Florence stumble upon one of the Realm's most insidious secrets: a mutating training simulation known as the Labyrinth. It is a maze that cannot be won, and it exists for one purpose: to break the men that enter it.

Florence,
who is looking around the corridor almost as frantically as Hobbes,
turns back to her companion. Her composure almost, but not quite,
covers the fear in her eyes as she shakes her head "no" and
shrugs.

Hobbes
turns back down the corridor in the direction that Pinocchio was
headed, reaching out as he takes tentative steps forward. After a
few feet, his hand disappears behind a digital haze, slipping into a
glitch.

Florence
digs her heels against the tile floor, snapping a look back over her
shoulder at Hobbes. On eye-contact, Hobbes realizes that he's
being too forceful and eases off.

Florence
turns back to the glitch, slipping her arm through and reading the
sensations. After a moment, she pulls back and turns to Hobbes,
gives a shrug that says "it's fine."

HOBBES

Then
we have to follow him...

Hobbes
is about to push past Florence to get to the glitch, when she cuts
him off, adamantly shaking her head "no."

HOBBES

Why
not?

Florence
gives Hobbes a hard look before pointing to the glitch, indicating
Pinocchio. She then traces her right hand upward and to the right;
with her left hand, she taps Hobbes' chest, then traces her hand
upward and left.

Hobbes
sighs dejectedly, nodding.

HOBBES

Break
up groups, hit each player

individually.
We won't end up in

the
same place.

Hobbes
turns away from Florence for a moment, thinking.

Finally,
Florence reaches out for Hobbes, placing a hand on his shoulder to
turn him. Hobbes looks up to meet her eyes.

HOBBES

We
have to follow him.

Florence
gives Hobbes another hard look of disapproval.

HOBBES

(defiant)

You
can dick around here if you want

to,
but the Army taught me never to

leave
a man behind, and my mother

taught
me never to let a friend down.

I
refuse to do either after all he's

done
for me; I won't lose him, and

especially
not here.

(looks
to the glitch)

We
have to TRY.

Hobbes
looks back to Florence, who sees the determination in his face. She
looks to the glitch for a moment, dropping her gaze to the floor
before returning it to Hobbes.

She
purses her lips, about to do something she doesn't really want to.
She nods gently in the affirmative, knowing that abandoning Pinocchio
is simply not an option.

Florence
turns back to the glitch, taking Hobbes by the arm and taking the few
steps between them and the scrambler. The pair steps through the
glitch, disappearing.

INT.
MIRRORED HALLWAY

The
hall remains empty for a moment, built of mirror panels four feet
wide to construct a corridor with no ceiling or floor; instead, a
brilliant white light emanates from both.

The
reflection of mirrors creates a most distorting effect, the illusion
of incredible space within the narrow hallway. After a few moments,
Pinocchio pops around a corner, his dark clothing contrasting heavily
with the white light and mirrors. Because of the reflective
properties of the walls, we see literally dozens of images of the
soldier.

Gun
drawn, Pinocchio cautiously makes his way down the hallway,
occasionally glancing back over his shoulder.

PINOCCHIO

(whispered
yell)

Hobbes??

He
receives no reply.

PINOCCHIO

(whispered
yell)

Florence...

Again,
no answer.

PINOCCHIO

Damnit...

Finger
on the trigger of his MP5K, Pinocchio takes careful steps down the
hallway.

Ahead,
he finds a hallway splitting off to the left, and he takes it. Immediately around the corner, though, he hears some noise that
catches his attention. He backs around the corner into the previous
hall, looking for the disturbance and finding a flutter of cloth at
the end of the hall.

It's
gone as soon as he see it, and he starts after it.

PINOCCHIO

Who's
in here??

He
receives no answer as he dashes down the hallway to the end, rounding
the corner smoothly and stopping dead in his tracks. A few yards
ahead of him, in a dead end that splits into a T-junction, a young
boy of no more than 11 years old is standing still, staring him in
the face.

PINOCCHIO

(confused)

Who
are you?

(no
answer)

How'd
you get here??

Pinocchio
starts toward the boy, who quickly turns to his right and takes off
down the hallway, leaving a digital afterimage trail behind, like a
ghost image on a VCR.

Pinocchio
shakes his head at the sight, bolting after the boy. He rounds the
corner with the boy a few yards ahead, remembering that he's
carrying a vicious-looking weapon.

Pinocchio
slows his pursuit, calling out instead.

PINOCCHIO

Hey
kid, I'm not gonna hurt you!

Pinocchio
drops the weapon to his side, taking his finger off the trigger as
the boy slows down and turns around. Pinocchio slows down
considerably, taking smaller steps.

PINOCCHIO

How'd
you get in this place?

ALAN

Same
as you.

PINOCCHIO

What's
your name, kid?

ALAN

Alan.

There
is a hint of recognition in Pinocchio's expression, before the boy
speaks again.

ALAN

(matter-of-factly)

After
your father.

The
recognition is instantly replaced with utter shock.

PINOCCHIO

What'd
you say?

ALAN

You
were gonna name me after your

father.

Pinocchio
stares at the kid, horror taking the place of shock as a realization
slowly mixes with memories.

PINOCCHIO

No...how
do you know about...

ALAN

She
lied to you.

PINOCCHIO

(beat,
terrified)

She
told me she miscarried. Her

doctor
backed her up.

ALAN

You
didn't actually believe her...

did
you?

Pinocchio
is still staring at Alan, slowly shaking his head "no" as if it
will somehow convince him this isn't real.

ALAN

We
both know that woman can be thrown

farther
than she can be trusted.

The
shock and horror in Pinocchio's face is slowly wearing away, now to
be replaced by suspicious.

PINOCCHIO

(raising
his gun)

Who
are you?

Alan
doesn't flinch at the sight of the weapon, only cocks his head
curiously. Pinocchio advances on him, grabbing for his arm. Immediately on contact, though, he DIGITIZES.

Angry
confusion burning across his face, Pinocchio stares at the empty spot
the boy previously occupied, his own hand still hung in midair. He
coughs up an uneasy laugh, and as he is about to drop his hand, he
notices something amiss.

TIGHT
on Pinocchio's right hand. On his ring finger, where none has ever
been, resides a GOLD WEDDING BAND. Pinocchio flips his hand over to
look at his palm.

BACK
TO PINOCCHIO, his confusion deepening. In a frantic rush, he pulls
the band off, tossing it down the hallway. It ricochets off the
glass with a musical clinking.

INGA
FOSSA (vo)

(whisper)

...Michael...

Pinocchio
wheels around to find the source of the voice, but once again, he
finds none.

INGA
FOSSA (vo)

(whisper)

...I'm
here, Michael...

Pinocchio
looks at his hand again.

TIGHT
on his ring finger. The band is back on his finger.

He
pulls the ring off again, struggling this time in his eternal
frustration. He hurtles the ring down the length of the corridor,
listening to it clink down the walkway.

Heaving,
he turns to look at the mirror to his right, staring his reflection
in the eyes.

He
stares his reflection in the face, slowly dropping his trembling hand
and letting the barrel of the weapon graze the floor without dropping
it. He leans forward into the mirror, his eyes dropped to the floor
as he places his hand against the glass, closing to within inches.

PINOCCHIO

Whole
lotta good that did...

He
sighs heavily, realizing that everything he encountered -- Alan,
Inga, and the wedding band -- were all constructs of his own mind,
used by the game to break him.

TIGHT
on Pinocchio's face, his eyes still floor-bound as he leans back
from the mirror. He takes a moment, but he finally looks up. When
he does, though, his face goes ghost white, pure terror in his eyes
at what he sees.

TIGHT
on Pinocchio's reflection. Not the normal reflection we'd expect
to see, but his Real-World-reflection; half of his face disfigured
from the blast in Yugoslavia.

BACK
to Pinocchio with such horror in his eyes that what he does next
could be considered the only logical solution.

He
lunges at the mirror with a spine-chilling shriek, spearing the butt
of his gun at the glass. The first impact sends a vicious crack
streaking down the pane, but Pinocchio refuses to let up, impaling
the reflective panel with half a dozen more full-force blows.

Finally,
one last crushing impact sends a spiderweb of tears through the
mirror. Pinocchio instinctively backs away from the glass as it
erupts, spraying into the hall.

Turned
away from the mirror on his knees with his face in his arm for cover
from the flying glass, Pinocchio only now peeks out from behind his
sleeve to examine his handiwork.

PINOCCHIO's
POV: he looks at where a broken mirror should stand. Instead he
finds an uncracked full-length mirror.

He
drops his arm, confusion written on his face. He stands and steps
toward the mirror, examining his reflection.

TIGHT
on Pinocchio's reflection, which now bares the same unscathed face
as the man looking at it.

BACK
TO PINOCCHIO, as he quickly reaches his fingers to his cheek,
touching the skin on the left half of his face to ensure that he is
in fact seeing what he believes he's seeing. He pulls down lightly
on his cheek to open his eye further, looking deeper into the image
before him.

He
runs his fingers through his hair as if to convince himself that he
is still real. As he looks into the mirror, a quick laugh spreads
his mouth into a wide smile, but is instantly gone again as confusion
returns.

He
narrows his eyes as his stare intensifies and his hand finds its way
toward the mirror. On contact, the glass surface undulates lightly
as if it were a liquid shield as Pinocchio's hand eases through it
with an electronic hum.

CLOSE
on Pinocchio's face, a subtle grin working his lips. He pulls his
hand back through the glitch, reaching into his vest pocket and
removing its contents; THE DIGIWAND he lifted from the guard before
entering this nightmare.

He
looks at the device for a moment, his mouth twisting further into
what might be the first real smile we've ever seen from this man. He flips the device over, examining its apparently seamless shell,
looking at the bottom.

He
holds the device close to his face, running his thumb lightly over
the black acrylic steel. There is a moment of hesitation before he
presses his thumb more firmly to the particular spot, watching as it
slowly depresses into the device. When he can't press it any
further, he lifts, peeling the back panel off to reveal its inner
components.

He
looks through the hundreds of chips, switches and wires, prodding
carefully through the device. He slowly removes wires from their
plugs and replacing them in others, flip-ping switches and popping
chips out of place to move them.

After
a few moments, he is satisfied that the device has been properly
modified and snaps the panel on. He presses the activation switch,
turning on the device. He smiles proudly to himself before reaching
for the glitch again.

He
places the prods to the surface of the mirror, watching as the
ripples undulate outward from the point of contact. He hesitates
just a moment before discharging the device.

The
digiwand gleams, sending a surge of energy through the

mirror-bound
glitch. The surface flashes blue, then fades slowly back to normal
after Pinocchio releases the button.

Pinocchio
replaces the digiwand in his vest pocket as he steps toward the
glitch, disappearing through the mirror.

INT.
HEDGEMAZE CORRIDOR

Hobbes
is lying on the dirt floor of the hallway, staring at the shrubbery
ceiling blankly as Florence leans back against one of the hedges. They've been here for a while.

HOBBES

(without
sitting up)

I
can't wait to get home, throw on

some
old Lonesome Dove reruns, and

get
drunk like Bailey Salinger.

(looks
to Florence)

You
have no idea what I'm talking

about,
do you?

Florence
shrugs to imply that she has a vague notion. Hobbes finally sits up,
propping himself up on his elbow.

HOBBES

You've
always been here, right?

(Florence
nods)

What'd
you do before the game? I

mean,
before the bomb.

Florence
nods again, leaning toward Hobbes and reaching her index finger
toward the dirt. In quick strokes, she writes three letters; VET. Hobbes flicks his eyes back to hers.

HOBBES

You
were in the military?

A
smile nearly takes Florence's lips as she leans back down adding
letters. After a moment, Hobbes looks back down at the ground to
find a new word; VETERINARIAN.

Hobbes
laughs at himself when he realizes his error, laying back in the dirt
with his hands to his forehead.

HOBBES

I've
been stuck here WAY too long.

EXT.
BLACKNESS - UNPROGRAMMED GAME SPACE

In
total darkness, we find one lone figure. Its identity is obscured by
the surrounding void, but after a moment we track in on the face and
find Pinocchio, his attention secured by the small screen on the
modified digiwand.

PINOCCHIO'S
POV: he concentrates on the streaming series of green 1's and 0's
flashing across the screen. The device has apparently been altered
to read game code.

He
heads through the darkness of unprogrammed game space, watching the
display closely. After a few more steps, the display shifts, showing
a binary series in light blue. In a flash, though, it is gone again.

Pinocchio
backsteps quickly to his former location, finding the series again. He checks the display screen, finding a string of blue 1's and 0's,
indicating a virtual character, along with a lone blue numeral 1.

Pinocchio
reaches the digiwand out at arms length again, activating it. A dull
hum ricochets through the emptiness as he swipes the device and
disappears from the darkness.

INT.
HEDGEMAZE CORRIDOR

Florence
and Hobbes sit on the floor, having succumbed to the lure of boredom
long ago. Hobbes is fidgeting with his hair at the moment, looking
like a bored toddler. Dexter is sniffing around his owner, looking
almost as bored.

Both
individuals are shocked to their feet, weapons drawn, as the hedge
that Florence is leaning on suddenly twitches, fazing as a glitch
opens. They quickly avert their guns, though, when Pinocchio steps
through, leaving one foot on the other side to keep the portal open.

Pinocchio
looks at the two soldiers, both weary with fear in their eyes, before
cracking a wry grin.

PINOCCHIO

Coming,
kids?

In
an instant, Hobbes and Florence are on their feet and following
Pinocchio through the glitch, disappearing.

EXT.
FOREST (DAWN)

The
group's camp, just as they left it except that the fire has long
since gone out. There is stillness for a moment until the same
glitch that began this nightmare opens up again, allowing Pinocchio,
Hobbes and Florence through.

Pinocchio
heads across the camp to the crates, but is caught by Hobbes and
turns to face the man.

HOBBES

Seal
it.

Pinocchio
glances down at the digiwand, nodding. He crosses back to the glitch,
reaching the device out to contact the surface. He snaps the button,
sending a slight electronic twitch through the space that once lead
to the Labyrinth.

He
retracts his arm, looking back to Hobbes as he swings his left hand
through the space to prove that the glitch is no longer there. Hobbes nods as he heads for the crates with Florence, followed slowly
by Pinocchio, who gives one last look to the space where the glitch
used to be.

The
trio packs up camp, heading off in the direction they had formerly
been going to get back to the Chevelle.

INT.
MILITARY INFIRMARY

In
the sterile confines of a large room, very similar to the Harsh Realm
Players Bay in the Real World, we find a row of soldiers lain out on
stretchers, visors covering their eyes and wires connected to their
temples.

3
HOURS LATER

CLOSE
on one of the soldiers, as the top portion of the computer screen
next to him shows a brainwave pattern of smooth undulating waves. Delta waves, unlike the sharply erratic waves of an Alpha pattern.

After
a moment, a technician steps to the computer, tapping at the keyboard
until the screen displays a percentage bar in the empty lower half,
which descends from 100 to zero.

DOWNWARD
SHOT on the soldier as the wire is removed from his temple and the
visor slid off of his face to reveal his identity; it is Chris. His
eyes slide heavily open.

The
technician steps back to allow Santiago through to Chris, followed by
two uniformed officers.

SANTIAGO

Welcome
back, soldier.

Chris
looks at Santiago with only vague recognition, until his mind
suddenly clicks and he remembers who the man is.

CHRIS

I
failed, General. I couldn't beat it.

SANTIAGO

That
was the point, soldier.

CHRIS

(confused)

But...I
broke, sir.

SANTIAGO

Of
course you did. I might be more

Concerned
if you didn't.

Still
not understanding, Chris tries to form a response, but can only force
out one word.

CHRIS

Sir?

SANTIAGO

Rest
up, soldier. Your training is

complete. You ship out tomorrow for

Charlotte
at oh-six-hundred.

Chris
stares at the General, nodding after a few moments. Santiago grins
wryly back at him, turning curtly and heading out of the room with
his officers in tow. As he exits, we see Chris watching him leave.

FADE
TO BLACK

THE
END

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.